Well, they are alien cats, with six limbs. Not just empathic, telepathic, too.

I was going to say, "Forgotten Beasts of Eld" had was great. If Mary Sueness was going on I failed to notice it.

Also I seem to remember James Schmitz's Telzy series had an intelligent empathic tree cat. When I read it I was too young to be aware of Mary-Sueness, but I never got an impression of excess perfection from Telzy, she was a superwoman, but didn't she have a tendency to get overconfident, and get into trouble for being a smartass? Too long ago but not sure.

As to Mary-Sue feedback phenomen, I do know how it happened in some specific cases. Every writer needs feedback. In some cases, once successful some writers choose to get that feedback only from worshipful adoring fans who think every word is golden and never criticize. That is they make the least discerning of their fanbase their feedback circle. I know for a fact that is part of what happened to L.K.Hamilton and one other writer who I won't name.

As to the second half of your question, I don't know that is why fans end continuing writers series, but that could be part of the explanation. On the other hand, it could also be that a fan becomes a writer, then the position of continuing the series opens, and of course a writer who has been successful on their own, but who loved the series is both most interested, and possibly most qualified.

t cough Daybreak 2250, AD t cough

I can't remember if the cats were telepathic, though, just big. In Beastmaster, definitely there was a mental link with the animals, though.

Feel Free

Thanks Jessica.

Furthermore, everybody who opposes Honor Harrington -- everybody -- is not just wrong but Eeeeeeevil.

Forgotten Beasts of Eld is fabulous. I re-read it regularly. The Riddle-Master of Hed trilogy is also very good, though I had to re-read it a couple of times to really appreciate the ending.

Daybreak 2250, AD

I knew I'd had that wrong but was too freakin' lazy to look it up.

They're definitely telepathic, but they're still animal level intelligence.

Are there instances of a male writer with his series being taken/over ghost written by his fanbase? (I'm not talking about a licensed character situation.) Because it seems like a Queen Bee and Coterie dynamic. With LKH and Anne Rice it seems like super inflated self-importance with nothing but adoring fans being filtered in. With Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton it seemed like the Queen Bee and court. Were there other instances of female Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers having ghost written series? Pern seemed liked that same kind of fanbase. Tanith Lee (in retrospect) really reminds me of fan fiction - so much slash!

Daybreak 2020 (aka The Beastmaster)

Daybreak 2250 AD, as previously mentioned, but also aka Starman's Son.

Still, she wrote so damned many, it's hard to keep the titles straight, let alone which plots go with which titles, especially since many of both sound similar. I remember this one because it was the first scifi or fantasy I ever read.

Beastmaster is a different novel, yeah. Hosteen Storm and the spotted horse.

Tanith Lee (in retrospect) really reminds me of fan fiction - so much slash!

Oh, Tanith Lee. I have such issues with Tanith Lee, carefully marshalled and lined up ready to go. At the same time, fun!